Wordpress For E-Commerce

Jul 21st, 2009 | By David Ollenberger | Category: Content Management Systems, Website Development

You’ve probably heard about Wordpress. This free open source website development system was originally designed for managing blogs. Over the years it has evolved into a full content management system for your website. Because this software is so flexible it can be used for a number of applications. The most intriguing of these options is using it to power an e-commerce website!

At first you’ll probably be a little skeptical that Wordpress can handle such an important role. If you want to have a relatively small online store then this is probably the solution for you. Best of all, it’s free!

There are a few steps involved to make this happen:

  1. Download and install Wordpress: The first step is of course to set up the latest version of Wordpress on your website hosting account. There are several great articles that explain how to do this. Check out the official Wordpress Installation Guide.

  2. Install a theme: Choosing the right look and feel for your new e-commerce store is important. You’ll want a website that reflects your products and conveys a message of professionalism. There are literally hundreds of themes available for free. You can also have a professional website designer customize a theme for you!

  1. Download and install the WP E-Commerce Plugin: The next step is to install an e-commerce plugin. One of the best and the easiest to use is the WP E-Commerce Plugin. Download the file & unzip it, upload the whole directory to the plugins folder, log into the admin section of Wordpress and activate the plugin.

  2. Setup a payment gateway: The easiest way to receive payments for your products is to use PayPal for business. It’s free to set up and quite inexpensive. You’ll be able to accept payments by Visa, MC, American Express, Discover, Bank Transfer & PayPal accounts!

The rest is up to you. Of course choosing the right line of products to sell is arguably the most important step of all. You’ll also want to consider some form of Online Marketing or Search Engine Optimization to get some traffic to your site.

For more information about Wordpress or to have a custom website designed for you, contact JSS Marketing today!

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